The Doris Day Forum

Back in the day, singer (Doris Day) lived in Price Hill

By Diane Clark*

Those of us of a certain age, have vivid memories of Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff as both a movie star and a very popular singer.

Of course, we knew her best as Doris Day. Born April 3, 1924, Doris was just 8 when her father was involved in a scandalous affair that ended in a difficult divorce. When she was 12 she broke her leg in a car accident and faced a lengthy recuperation period. Her dreams of becoming a dancer were dashed.

At age 14 she and her mom moved above her Uncle Charlie’s place, Welz Tavern at 3113 Warsaw Ave.

Doris began waiting tables in the tavern, entertaining the customers by singing along with the jukebox and with that, a new dream was born. In “Price Hill Saloons,” Larry Schmolt reminisces about Doris waiting on him and his friends at the Welz Tavern. Her aunt’s homemade barbecue sandwiches cost fifteen cents and were the best around.

Her first professional singing job was on “Carlin’s Carnival” on WLW radio. She also sang in a local restaurant, Charlie Yee’s Shanghai Inn.

According to Julie Hotchkiss in the West Side Examiner, Doris was singing with local big bands by age 15. As a vocalist with Barney Rapp’s Band, she met, fell in love with and married Al Jorden, the band trombonist, who also lived in Price Hill.

When the couple moved to New York, Doris stopped singing and stayed home to raise their son, Terry. They moved back to Purcell Avenue in Price Hill, but Al’s abusive temper destroyed the relationship and the marriage.

It was 1943, Doris was 19, married with a baby, and newly divorced. She rented a place just across from her uncle’s tavern on Warsaw Avenue and her mother and brother moved in to help care for Terry. Doris got a job as a radio singer at WLW, but soon made a strategic move to Chicago, where her singing career really took off.

Her second marriage was to saxophonist, George Weider. By 1948, George’s extreme jealousy caused Doris to file for divorce and plan a move back to Price Hill. At the last minute, however, she was asked to try out for a part in “Romance on the High Seas.” She got that part and went on to make nearly 40 movies in the 1950s and 1960s.

David Bret in MailOnline tells of her relationship with third husband, Marty Melcher. Marty adopted Terry, but was abusive to him and severely controlling of Doris, funneling much of her money into his own accounts. Upon his death in 1968 she was deeply in debt and barely able to function without him. Though she was known for her rosy disposition and her “girl next door” looks, she seemed to have a knack for choosing abusive men. Sadly, her life was very different from her public image.

Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff never returned to Price Hill and now lives in Carmel Valley, California.

*Diane Clark grew up in Price Hill and lives there now. Her company, Fairy Dust Ltd Inc., is on Warsaw Avenue in Price Hill. She is a longtime member of the Price Hill Historical Society.
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/lo ... /24862015/

The star, however, is not very keen on making a big deal of her big day. “I’ve never been a fan of celebrating my birthday,” she confides to 'Closer.' “The best thing is looking back at all the great memories, people and animals I’ve had the chance to befriend and experience through all these years.”

Cincinnati is not known as a hot spot in the media and entertainment industry. Yet a startling amount of talent has emerged from the Queen City, with legends like Roy Rogers, Steven Spielberg, Bootsy Collins and the Clooney family to more modern acts in Katt Williams, Woody Harrelson and Sarah Jessica Parker.

While all gifted in their own rights, perhaps no star was as bright as Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff.

Or, as you might know her, Doris Day.
More: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/20 ... /70836724/